Exploring Radiation Therapy Treatments Part 1

Medical facilities have a lot to consider when purchasing new or refurbished medical equipment.  It is imperative to offer clients the highest patient care possible while also meeting the goals of the facility.  As patients we often don’t consider the rigorous behind the scenes work it takes to bring us the latest and greatest treatments.  We just want to know that we are getting the best possible treatment for our unique situation.  This is especially true in the treatment of cancer.

Being told you need radiation is perhaps one of the scariest things you will hear.  Everyone has their own experience while going through the process to eliminate their cancer however, it seems the “negative” always outshines the positive as we are seeking answers to questions before our own treatment begins.  We are here to help.  The following installments will give you a solid understanding on the ins and outs of treatment.  Information reduces anxiety and at a time when anxiety is at all time high the last thing you want is to have unanswered question in connection with your treatment.

First and foremost, lets talk about the medical equipment that will be used in treating your cancer with radiation therapy.  Linear accelerators are large machines that can be quite intimidating.  In all honesty, the size of the machine and the impact of the treatment are both extreme and just their sight can create anxiousness. The truth is there is no reason at all to be intimidated by the size or treatment that is provided by linear accelerators, LINAC.

A LINAC is a large piece of medical equipment that uses elevated electromagnetic waves to accelerate electrons into extreme energy in a linear path that travels through an accelerator waveguide.  These electrons collide with a heavy metal target and the result of the collision is the production of high energy x-rays (photons) that are delivered to the patient.  Linear accelerators have special features that allow these beams to be shaped to conform to the tumors shape.  The LINAC treatment angles can be manipulated receiving a variety of angles through the rotating gantry and movable treatment couch.

Linear accelerators, LINAC, continue to evolve.  Radiation therapy continues to advance as well.  What does this mean for patients? 
Increased survival rates, more efficient treatment, fewer side effects, faster results, and more await patients with the advancements of LINAC systems.  The radiation therapy process doesn’t have nerve wracking to patients.  In our next installment we will dive further into the treatment, side effects, and questions patients often ask when discussing treatment with radiation therapy.
As an independent LINAC service company, Acceletronics is dedicated to delivering the best equipment performance and services for linear accelerators and CT scanners across all major brands and models, as well as new and refurbished LINAC systems for sale.  More information can be found online at https://www.acceletronics.com/.

How Does A Linear Accelerator Improve Radiation Therapy?

With todays technology treating cancer through radiation therapy is completely customized to each specific patient’s need.  Linear accelerators deliver cutting-edge radiation therapy; providing one of the most advanced cancer treatment techniques available.  Linear accelerators are able to deliver targeted radiation beams directly onto a patient’s cancerous growths with minimal damage to the healthy surrounding tissue. 

Oncologists often recommend radiation therapy using linear accelerator technology to treat new cancer diagnosis as it often improves the chance of a good outcome. Below are a number of the benefits that cancer patients find that LINAC offer in cancer treatment.

Personalized Care

Using detailed imagery linear accelerators pinpoint cancerous tumors with amazing precision.  This technique is known as image-guided radiation therapy.  Treatment with LINAC allows for radiologists to compensate for the shrinkage of the tumor and its movement.   Radiation therapists will treat tumors individually before each treatment session to account for the varying size and shape of the tumor and its changing position in the body.  This allows them to directly deliver radiation to the cancerous cells to shrink and destroy them.  Technicians can target cancer more accurately which decreases the risk to healthy tissue. 

Treatment to Any Part of The Body

Cancer can grow in any part of your body.  Thankfully, linear accelerators are able to treat them wherever they are.  Radiation therapy, using linear accelerators allows for the targeting of cancerous growths no matter where they are including: prostate, uterus, cervix, and/or prostate.

Higher Cure Rates

With the advanced technology in treating cancer that linear accelerators offer, specialists are able to monitor and adjust for shrinking tumors on a daily basis.  This means that each treatment is aimed more directly at the cancerous tumor which increases the effectiveness of the treatment and encourages a higher cure rate. 

Increased Comfort in Treatment

Treating cancer can seem incredible scary.  Treatment sessions can be long and uncomfortable but thankfully treating cancer with linear accelerators makes radiation sessions faster and more comfortable.  LINAC treatment sessions which may have lasted 10 to 30 minutes can now be completed in less than two minutes.  Quicker treatments make more patients less anxious and more comfortable. 

It is easy to see how LINAC improve the treatment of cancer.  Linear accelerators make cancer treatment faster, increase cure rates, and can be customized to each individual’s patients needs.  Radiation therapist plans develop personalized treatment plans that include education and support.
As an independent LINAC service company, Acceletronics is dedicated to delivering the best equipment performance and services for linear accelerators and CT scanners across all major brands and models, as well as new and refurbished LINAC systems for sale.  More information can be found online at https://www.acceletronics.com/.

Are Beam Hours Important When Purchasing A Used LINAC?

Buying used and refurbished linear accelerators can save medical facilities a great deal of money.  This is fairly critical when it comes to the limited budgets that growing healthcare centers face.  The question most often asked is about the HV (high voltage) hours, beam hours, and how important their role is in determining the wear and tear of a LINAC. 

The most universal analogy comes down to the mileage of a used vehicle, the more miles usually means more wear and tear.  The higher the mileage, the less you should expect the resale value to be.  Beam hours are very similar.  Beam hours are equivalent to the time that the beam has been in use.  Thus, higher HV hours often means that these machines will be priced lower than LINACS with lower beam hours.  This of course assumes all other things are equal.

In reality a dozen factors go into determining the price facilities will pay when purchasing a used linear accelerator.  These include factors such as manufacturer, age of LINAC, updates to software/technology, and upgrades to the machine.  The chart below offers a reasonable explanation to what facilities should expect in regard to beam hours.

Expected Time Until Machine Replacement/Major Refurbishment
5 years	10 years	15 years
Patients Seen Per Day	10+	2000 Beam Hours	1500 Beam Hours	1000 Beam Hours
<10	3000 Beam Hours	2500 Beam Hours	2000 Beam Hours

On the top you will see a number that reflects the years a used machine is expected to be in place at the new facility.  When a facility is getting started, doesn’t expect to see a lot of patients, and expects to have a higher revenue to purchase equipment in the next couple of years a used LINAC with higher beam hours is acceptable to be purchased.   However, if this same facility hopes to hold onto the machine for an extended period of time or expects to see a high number of patients, they should re-evaluate the number of acceptable beam hours that can be on a used LINAC. 

Situation: A health care center looking into adding a cancer treatment center to an already booming facility.  They are expecting that as they make available this new treatment option that their revenue will increase.  They also expect that as patients become aware of the option for treatment the number of patients, they can expect to see should be higher than they are to begin with.  They want to purchase a LINAC without having to replace it for about 10 years.  What amount of beam hours should they be looking for on a used LINAC? 

This facility, because they are assuming, they will see a high number of patients for treatment as the word spreads that they are offering LINAC treatment should assume that in time they will be seeing more than 10 patients a day.  Even if they start out slow at 5 patients a day now, it is assumed that they will be treating upwards of 15 or more eventually which will average out.  Because they want the equipment to last at least 10 years this facility should only be looking at LINAC systems with between 1000-1500 used beam hours anything with more than that will not serve the purpose for the volume of patients they are expecting or the years that they wish to use this piece of medical equipment.

Another thing a facility needs to consider is how often IMRT and VMAT treatment will be used.  These two types of treatment options consumer more beam hours.   This should be considered when looking into a used LINAC. 
This illustration should be used only as a guideline.   With proper, regular maintenance, servicing, and parts replacement, used/pre-owned linear accelerators can last for years even with a high number of beam hours. 

As an independent LINAC service company, Acceletronics is dedicated to delivering the best equipment performance and services for linear accelerators and CT scanners across all major brands and models, as well as new and refurbished LINAC systems for sale.  More information can be found online at https://www.acceletronics.com/.